My Favorite Pittsburgh Thing To Do With Kids: Steven Annegarn

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Steven Annegarn has lived in Pittsburgh for 28 years. The South African native left home for London’s Royal Ballet School at age 18, then danced with the London City Ballet finally settling here.before coming to the U.S. to dance with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and Pittsburgh Ballet.

He met his wife Erin Halloran, another principal dancer. Both have since retired as dancers. He is now the company’s Ballet Master. Erin is a Pilates instructor and a ballet teacher.

The physical nature of their professions inspires active pursuits with their sons: Aiden, 16; Leo, 10; and Ronan, 4. They live in Bloomfield with their dog and cat.

“We love to go to the Schenley Oval to play soccer,” says Steven, who grew up playing the sport n his hometown of Benoni, outside of Johannesburg. “Soccer seems to check all the boxes for quick and easy and really intense exercise without getting that injured or having to smash into people.

“Of course, we do that, too,” he says with a laugh.

The family enjoys biking around town, “but the 4-year-old is too old for a bike seat,” Steven says. “And I don’t like the bike seat because he doesn’t get any exercise. He just sits there like a lump. And he gets bored.”

Instead, the entire clan has taken to push scooters, at which Ronan is quite adept.

“He scooters really fast, and he scooters long,” Steven says.

Ronan can scooter all the way from Friendship to the Carnegie Library and Museum in Oakland. There, they often stop by the PNC Carousel or have a bite to eat from one of the Schenley Plaza restaurants.

“It’s great having family time,” he says. “When we are with our kids we get to play like kids. By talking with our children and spending time with them, we have the opportunity to see the world through their eyes.”